I'm Still Here and Other Blah Blah......

I have had blog material flying at me. I have had things I have desperately needed, wanted to record so that I would have it to look back at and chuckle. Yet.....you have all heard nothing from me. Even if I don't get out here what I want to share, I will for go sleep to hear what you, my trusted bloggy friends have to say. So why the absence?

Here is my excuse:

To whom it may concern: Please excuse Karen for neglecting her blog and yours for the past couple of weeks. Her grandfather recently passed away and she has felt she needed to write a post about him and his life before she did any more blogging. This has turned out to be more difficult than she would have expected. She had no idea that she would miss him so much or have such difficulty expressing her thoughts and feelings and organizing the facts. Sincerely, Karen's Self-defense Department.

I have come to realize a few things about me. Anything I put in this blog is here because I don't want to forget. I also care that you read it or want to read it. I shouldn't care, but I think if it isn't something you want to read.....how will I ever be able to get my posterity to be interested in what my life was. These thoughts also bring me to want to make sure all my facts are straight. (Especially in regards to my grandpa.) I suppose I think of this blog as my journal and one day plan to publish it at Blurb or something like that so that one day my when I leave this earth, my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will know who I was. They will know what I cared about. They will know that my life was not perfect, but that in time most pain fades and love remains.

So if you made it through all that.....I am working on a post about my sweet grandpa that will make you smile. Until I get it finished, this is what I heard from the Wild Child and the 1st One today:

1st One: Mom, Wild Child has lotion all over her bed rails.
Me: (Raise eyebrow.)
Wild Child: Dad said I could. It's so that bad guy won't be able to steal me.
Me: (Shaking my head)
1st One: (Starts helping the Wild Child put more lotion on the side rails of the loft bed.)
Me: (Thinking, why didn't I think of that.)

Stuck in the Mud....

So that pretty much describes how I feel. Yesterday, I thought I might be having a mid-life crisis, but by noon, I knew it was just Strep. As soon as those antibiotics kick in, I have some funny stuff for you. But today, I'm just going to lay here and pretend the world stopped because I did.

Boneless White Meat......

Oh the things I hear as a mother...........Do you have a meat preference? There might be a meat preference in my house. Let me explain.


The other day I hear from the back seat, "What is skin made of?" Well before the Rocket Scientist or I have a chance to respond we hear the Wild Child tell her sister, "Boneless white meat." Trying to stifle my laughter I suddenly find myself wondering if this is true no matter the shade of your skin. So, when I could control myself, I had to ask. I was assured by the Wild Child that all skin is "boneless white meat." So there you have it. If you were ever wondering. While I am on the topic of "boneless white meat" you should pop over and say "hi" to my friend Krista before she has surgery.

On a new subject, I am truly struggling to keep up on my blog right now. Life keeps throwing twist and turns my direction. Please, let me be clear. I love the twists and turns. It is what makes life fun. However, said ride, is sucking up an awful lot of time and energy.

We have been offered an opportunity to make a move with my husbands employment. I love living in new places. I love learning about the local culture, meeting new people, getting to know the geography. I really love looking at the architecture and how different it is in different parts of our nation. I detest the moving part. I don't like looking for a new school for my kids. I hate the sleep deprivation that is always involved in a move. I hate leaving my friends behind. I am a decent long distance friend, but it's not the same as being able to call up a friend and say, "Hey, let's go get chocolate faced tonight." or the "We have a sitter, let's do dinner tonight." There is so much comfort in established relationships. For me, it provides a sense of belonging, to have a few friends close by to laugh and cry with. Friends to escape with, friends who make you feel like you can take on the world. I am also not fond of the unpacking part. If you need proof, come look at my basement. We have been here almost two years and there are still boxes of which I know the content of, that I have not unpacked. I just haven't felt like it. (This can be problematic, since there are things I need in those boxes from time to time, so I will pull an item or two out and leave the rest of box disheveled. This makes my basement look a bit like a bomb went off.) We have yet to make a decision, but I imagine we will have to make it soon.

If this were not enough to think about, I have a grandmother, my father's mother, and grandfather, my mother's father that seem to be under the impression that their bodies are wearing out. I have wonderful grandparents. The thought of it being their "time" is too much for me right now. (Trust me, I get it, I don't really have a say in the matter.) They are both in their 90's so I get that it is unreasonable for me to think they will be around for another 25 years. Still, I wish that the quality of their lives where better and that they could be around for another 25 years. And as I sit here and type this, I feel very selfish for letting get to me like this. You know that my sweet Rocket Scientist had lost both of his parents by the time he was thirty.

Did I mention that I am married to the best guy ever? I may have eluded to that a time or two. For my birthday this month, he is sending my sister and I out of town for 5 whole days. That is 5 whole days of no kids, no laundry, no dishes and hopefully good sleep. So I am frantically working on getting myself ready for a trip to Alabama on Thursday. Will you all say a prayer that my grandparents hang in there till I get back? Thank you.

So back to my first topic.......boneless white meat. Anybody have a simple, accurate answer that I can give my kids on what skin is made of? Seriously......where does the Wild Child come up with these things?

Dreaming of a WHITE Christmas!

Did you wonder if you came to the wrong place? I was feeling festive.........

Anyway, on to one of the many things I have to talk about tonight. The first one being, how children will and do repeat what you say. The Rocket Scientists has this saying that goes something like this when I am asking him to help me with something that he isn't sure he wants to do. He says, "You're killin' me woman!" I usually smile and let it be. That is until the the 1st one started using that line on me when I'd ask her to pick up her shoes or clear off the table. Now you know on the inside I was busting up. That is some pretty funny stuff, but on the outside I had to tell her it wasn't OK for her to use that line with me. The RS has decided with some encouragement that maybe this is not a line he will use with me anymore either.

The next thing is my fun loving Friend has this link to a personality test. If you haven't figured it out yet.......yes......I can find endless entertainment in these type things. So if you are wondering about which "color" I am, I'm white.

"Whites are motivated by Peace. They seek independence and require kindness. They resist confrontation at all costs. To them, feeling good is more important than being good. They are typically quiet by nature, process things very deeply and objectively with great clarity. Of all the colors, whites are the best listeners. They respect people who are direct but recoil from perceived hostility or verbal battle. Whites need their "alone time" and refuse to be controlled by others. Whites want to do things their own way and in their own time. They ask little of others and resent others demanding much of them. Whites are much stronger than people think, but are not often seen for their strength because they don't easily reveal their feelings. Whites are even-tempered, diplomatic, and the voice of reason; but can also be indecisive, unexpressive, and silently stubborn. When you deal with a WHITE, be kind, accept and support their individuality, and look for non-verbal clues to understand their feelings."

I would love to know what color you are!!!

The last thing I wanted to cover in this post is my erratic posting and reading of my bloggy friends. I miss you when I don't get to read what you are doing or thinking about, etc. I want to say that it is going to get better, but chances are, it will not for a while. I have plenty I want to blog about. I am lacking time. I have this part of my brain that shifts with no explanation that sends me in a different direction than I was originally headed. This instance......as a child I was not neat or tidy. My mid-teens this shift happened and everything had to be neat and organized. Then sometime after I had been married for about 4 years, there was a shift again. Neat and organized were taking leave. Well about 2 months ago, neat and organized came back. I have almost 10 years of clutter that suddenly can no longer exist in my life. Getting rid of all this clutter is a serious time sucker. Since I will have no peace until it's done, and that is what I am motivated by according to the previously mentioned personality test, it is what is occupying most of my free time. This is not to say that I will not be around at all, just not daily. More like three to four time a week.

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!

Back to cleaning.......

Karen

Watching my mother fall victim to my children

My sweet mother took my children yesterday and kept them over night so that I could get ready for Thanksgiving. Since we live back close to family, we usually do the get together here since we are best equipped for gatherings. Besides that, I LOVE to cook! Really!!! And the entertaining part is nice too. It makes me feel at home to have people I love in my home enjoying themselves.

Early this afternoon, my mom calls to check on the time of dinner. She was running behind. Yeah.....she had my kids, so that is to be expected. But the story behind why she was running late must be told. Now, in my experience, grandmas are suckers for grandchildren. Why that is exactly I don't have a firm grasp on yet, but I am sure there will be a day that I do. Well, my sweet mom was bringing a few homemade pies and mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. She seemed to have a handle on that. That is until the my children, aka the grandchildren in question, asked if she would make them brownies. Now if they asked me, the answer would have been an easy "NO!" There would be plenty of good things for them to eat when they got home. Being the grandma put her at a disadvantage; You know being a sucker for her grandchildren and all. She started to tell them that she really didn't have time when the Wild Child in all her charm uses her cutest smile and voice and says, "Please, they're like a river of chocolate." Yep, she made them brownies.

Hey Mom, if you get a chance to read this before you collapse into your bed tonight......Thank you!! I could have never pulled it off without you.

My list of excuses.....

I'm feeling bad about not posting much this week and even worse about not reading so many of your blogs. I do have a list of excuses, but you all really don't want to hear them. I do have a ton of stuff to tell you all about, but still no time. I'll be back soon though....I have to tell you all about the Wild Child building a "Contrary" and show pictures of the cabinets my sister, BIL and myself glazed in thier house.